Golf Fore the Good

For me, individual stroke play golf tournaments border on cruel and unusual punishment. At any given moment in a stroke play event, as a golfer, I face the unknown. Although I am fairly competent on the course, I am not what one would call a steady, down the middle player. Even when I am playing well, I never know when I might release a swing that’s pushes me over the edge into the land of doubles and triples, or worse.

I wish that I could bring the relaxed feeling I have during informal afternoon rounds and friendly matches to tournament play. I have been told that the more competitive golf I play, the more I will enjoy it. I keep trying; I’m still waiting.

Despite my lack of enthusiasm for the format, I was convinced to support our small contingency of lady golfers, and recently entered the club championship stroke play event at my home course. Playing in the championship would add to my golfing experience, if nothing else. Well, what an experience it turned out to be!

Funny things can happen in a golf tournament. Not funny ha-ha. Funny, as in even a champion caliber player suffers a blow up hole on occasion; funny like a golfer can momentarily forget they are not playing a casual weekday round, and in an attempt to back hand in a four inch putt, miss it and take an extra stroke; funny like pitching out of one bunker only to kick into another or four putting from six feet. Definitely not funny ha-ha.

Then there are other times that are decidedly not funny in any way- times that bring the full pressure of serious stroke play front and center. I happened to find myself in such a position this weekend.

When a rules question arose, with my ball at the center of the discussion, I immediately turned to my scorer, the golfer with whom I had exchanged scorecards for the tournament. I queried her as to the proper conduct and she assured me my intended action was correct. As I prepared to take a drop- and a penalty stroke - the rest of our foursome entered the discussion as did other golfers behind us, since by this time my delay of play had managed to draw a small crowd.

Eight golfers, including myself, reviewed the situation and all agreed on how I should proceed. There was one dissenting voice, boldly declaring that we were all wrong, in no uncertain terms.

Unfortunately, at our municipal golf course there are rarely spotters out on the course in those tricky spots where a player might need one. We have no rules officials motoring about the course in golf carts at our beck and call. Even worse, at this particular point in time, due to extenuating circumstances (a story for another day) we don’t even have a PGA professional to turn to for a ruling in the clubhouse.

I had been scrambling for fourteen holes, never feeling quite in the groove. My fellow competitor, an experienced, collegiate tournament player exceptionally well versed in the Rules, was thumbing furiously through her rule book to find the proper rule and verbiage that would prove our case to the lone hold-out.

I knew the course was backing up. “I’ll play two balls,” I decided hastily while the dissenting player stalked off and away from our group effectively ending all discussion.

Here is where, in retrospect, I lost it. I could have – should have – taken a few more minutes until my fellow competitor located the Rule. As it turns out, she was entirely correct, which was further verified by the tournament committee when we checked in after our round.

I did not need to play two balls. Though the right thing to do in some circumstances, with the virtual certainty that we had properly interpreted the rule, it just wasn’t necessary. I rushed. I flailed my way up the 15th fairway. I abandoned all semblance of my pre-shot routine. I really, truly stunk it up.

The poor play on the hole was my fault, entirely. I am the only one responsible for my swing. Later, though, when I looked back upon the incident, I thought of one thing that might have made all the difference.

Wouldn’t it have been nice if the player, who was so convinced that she was right and we were wrong, had stood by the group while we located that rule? Might she not have listened while the verbiage was read and therefore realized that my initial intended action was correct? Or was she so intent on being right herself, that she would not have reconsidered her position even with the language we found to prove our point? What about club play, even at the tournament level, is so cut throat that she felt compelled, not only to walk away from any continued, rational discussion on the rule, but to later enter the clubhouse and make a statement that “in my opinion, she should be disqualified.” One thing I do know for sure, thinking one knows a ruling does not automatically make one the rules committee.

Some of us play tournament golf mostly for the experience and the support of club programs. Some play because they are competitive by nature. Others play because they are at such a level that is truly a test of their abilities against other golfers. We sometimes play just because a tournament venue provides a good tee time and is simply an excuse to play more golf. One would hope that, at the local club level, we all play for fun.

I entered the club championship to gain a little on-course experience. I ended up learning a lot more than I initially bargained for.

26-1. Relief for Ball in Water Hazard

It is a question of fact whether a ball that has not been found after having been struck toward a water hazard is in the hazard. In order to apply this Rule, it must be known or virtually certain that the ball is in the hazard. In the absence of such knowledge or certainty, the player must proceed under Rule 27-1.

If a ball is in a water hazard or if it is known or virtually certain that a ball that has not been found is in a water hazard (whether the ball lies in water or not), the player may under penalty of one stroke: etc, etc…

Well, there we get to the gist of it; it is all in the interpretation of the written word as applicable to the situation at hand. I can understand now why the Decisions of the Rules of Golf grow more and more voluminous as time goes on.

Virtually vir·tu·al·ly “vûr’chōō-ə-lē” (adverb)

1. In fact or to all purposes; practically: “The city was virtually paralyzed by the transit strike.”
2. Almost but not quite; nearly: “Virtually everyone gets a headache now and then”
3. for the most part; almost wholly; just about: “He is virtually unknown.”

Certain cer·tain “sur-tn” (adjective)
1. free from doubt or reservation; confident; sure
Synonyms: convinced, satisfied